


Follow The Spiders

by FantasticNumberNine



Series: John Watson and the Chamber of Secrets [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: AU, Crossover, Epiphanies, Forbidden Forest, Gen, Giant Spiders, More attacks, Potterlock, Tom Riddles diary, you can't cancel quidditch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-26
Updated: 2014-09-26
Packaged: 2018-02-16 13:25:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2271369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasticNumberNine/pseuds/FantasticNumberNine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys are feeling a bit like they're getting nowhere with their investigations, and welcome the diversion of choosing new classes for next year. That is, until the Heir of Slytherin's next victim strikes too close to home, sending John and Greg into the Forbidden Forest for answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Follow The Spiders

**Author's Note:**

> *disclaimer*
> 
> Apologies, I thought I'd posted this ages ago, turns out I'd saved it to drafts. Could have been worse. :)

John, Greg, and Mycroft knew very well that Hagrid had an unfortunate fondness for very large, very dangerous, monstrous creatures. After Fluffy and Norbert the previous year, it wasn't difficult to imagine a young Hagrid going off in search of a rumored beast hidden deep in the school somewhere. But killing another student? That didn't sound like the Hagrid John knew.

"The creature you describe Hagrid having is likely a small acromantula, and they aren't supposed to petrify their victims--I have yet to read an account where an acromantula has left much at all of their prey, actually, as they're supposed to be bloodthirsty--"

"That's pleasant, Myc, but maybe leave your descriptions of giant spiders for when I'm _not_ eating," said Greg as he pushed his breakfast away, his face grey.

Mycroft rolled his eyes, an automatic response to Greg's spider phobia.

"What I am trying to say, is that Hagrid's monster couldn't be _Slytherin's_ monster--"

"How many monsters do you think this place can hold?" Greg asked incredulously.

"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," John sighed. "And the attacks must've stopped when Hagrid was kicked out, or Riddle wouldn't have gotten his award."

"It wasn't Hagrid," said Mycroft with finality, spearing a strip of Greg's bacon fiercely. "And I believe Riddle was more involved than he let on."

Easter holidays came soon after, and the second years had something new to talk about over the break. It had come time to choose their new subjects for their third year, something Mycroft was taking extremely seriously. 

"It will affect our whole future, you understand," Mycroft told John and Greg as they poured over the lists of new subjects.

Second years with magical relations were all receiving letters and advice from their families. Molly Hooper was busy asking if Ancient Runes or Arithmancy was harder, and Dean Thomas--who was muggleborn--closed his eyes and chose at random. Mycroft listened to no one and signed up for everything.

"Muggle Studies? But you're _muggleborn_ , Myc!"

"Exactly. This will give me new perspective."

"I think I'm more surprised you haven't already _read_ about it."

Meanwhile, John was being advised by Percy, who told him to play to his strengths. John figured his strength was quidditch, but that wasn't on the list of new subjects. In the end, he signed up for Care of Magical Creatures and Divination with Greg, and added Arithmancy at Mycroft's depressed sigh over his underachieving friends.

The night before Gryffindor's quidditch match against Hufflepuff, John returned to the common room to find Greg and Mycroft waiting for him, both agitated. Greg grabbed his arm and pulled him up to their dormitory.

"We don't know who did it, John, we came back from dinner and..."

Mycroft opened the door and John gasped, his jaw hanging open as he took in their room. His trunk was thrown open and his things were strewn everywhere. The curtains around his bed were torn and the sheets were pulled off, his pillow a mess of goose feathers and the drawer of his bedside cabinet was on the mattress, it's contents scattered.

Dean and Seamus came in as Mycroft was fixing the tears in the curtains and John was fixing the sheets. Dean swore.

"What happened, John?"

"No idea."

Greg frowned at John's robes, all of the pockets turned out.

"Is anything missing? I think whoever it was was looking for something."

John gave up tidying his bed and began rummaging through his things, setting them back into his trunk as he went. Replacing the last of Lockhart's books, John looked up at Greg and Mycroft with a frown.

"Riddle's diary is gone."

Mycroft's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. 

"Only a Gryffindor could have come in here."

"Exactly."

The next morning was bright and breezy, perfect quidditch conditions according to Oliver Wood. John was distracted through breakfast, looking up and down Gryffindor table, wondering which of his housemates was now in possession of Tom Riddle's diary.

On their way back to Gryffindor to collect John's quidditch things, John heard the voice again, freezing at the bottom of the marble staircase.

" _Kill this time... Let me rip... Tear..._ "

"The voice!" Shouted John, "I just heard it again, it's--didn't you hear it?"

Greg shook his head, wide eyed, but Mycroft stared at John with surprising clarity.

"John, I've figured it out," Mycroft said with quiet awe. "I... I need to go to the library!"

Mycroft ran up the stairs and Greg shouted after him:

"Wait, what've you figured out?"

Mycroft paused only for a moment at the top of the stairs, "Parseltongue, Gregory! It's using the plumbing!"

And then he was gone.

"Did you understand any of that?" Greg turned to John.

"I..."

But their were too many people now, everyone getting ready for the match.

"You've got to go, we'll interrogate him after the match!"

John never even mounted his broom; McGonagall announced that it was cancelled and escorted John and Greg to the Hospital Wing, Sherlock came crashing into Greg when they arrived.

Two new beds were occupied, one of them an older Ravenclaw girl, and in the next bed--

" _Myc_!"

Mycroft lay completely still, his eyes glassy.

"They were found next to the library," said Professor McGonagall. She held up a small mirror, "I don't suppose either of you could explain this? It was found on the floor next to them..."

John and Greg shook their heads, staring at Mycroft. Greg was still holding on to Sherlock, who had buried his face in Greg's robes, trembling.

Back in the common room, Sherlock had still not let go of Greg, and was curled up next to him on the sofa John shared with them. He'd muttered apologies the whole way back to the tower and Greg had only just calmed him down, reassuring him that it wasn't his fault.

They stayed on their sofa in silence as the rest of Gryffindor gossiped and threw ideas around, and Sherlock fell asleep with his head in Greg's lap.

"Do you think they'll blame Hagrid this time too?" Greg asked quietly, running his fingers through Sherlock's curly hair.

"We should go talk to him. I don't think it's him, but he's bound to know _something_ about the last time."

"We aren't allowed to leave the tower except for class, though."

"I think it's time to get my dad's old cloak out."

Greg carried Sherlock to bed, and then waited with John until Seamus and Dean fell asleep before slipping under the cloak, sneaking to Hagrid's in the dark. 

They weren't able to talk long before Dumbledore arrived with a short man with a lime green bowler hat under his arm. Greg stifled a gasp under the cloak.

"That's dad's boss!" Greg breathed, "Cornelius Fudge, he's the Minister of Magic!"

And before Minister Fudge could clarify where he was taking Hagrid, Lucius Moriarty stepped into Hagrid's house with a superior sneer and even worse news: Professor Dumbledore had been suspended.

"Oh, we're in trouble now," Greg said hoarsely as he threw off the cloak. "No Dumbledore--they might as well close the school tonight. There'll be an attack a day now."

Several nights later found John and Greg under the invisibility cloak once more; Greg was a great deal less enthusiastic this time as they followed a trail of spiders into the Forbidden Forest with Fang.

John desperately wanted to join in Greg's panic when they were dropped in front of a spider the size of a small elephant.

"We're friends of Hagrid's!" John shouted over the sound of his heart pounding in his throat. "He's in trouble, so we came to you!"

"In trouble?" John was surprised by the concern in the great hulking spider's voice.

"Up at the school they think... They think he--Hagrid--they think he's been setting some sort of monster on the students. They've taken him to Azkaban."

Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, echoed by his fellow spiders, and John held his breath.

"But that was years ago... Years and years ago... They believed that I was the monster from the Chamber of Secrets, and that Hagrid had set me free."

"They were wrong, though. You didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets. And..." John swallowed, "You never attacked anyone?"

"Never," said the old spider. "Out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who died was found in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up."

"But then... Do you know what _did_ kill that girl?"

John still wasn't sure if he'd simply asked the wrong question, or if Aragog had intended to eat them anyways, he was just grateful they got out of the forest alive. It wasn't until he had almost succumbed to sleep later that something occurred to him--something Mycroft had probably known out ages before and only realized the value of an hour before being petrified.

"Greg!" John hissed as he sat up suddenly, "Greg!"

"Merlin, John, if this is about the damn spiders again--"

"Greg--the girl who died! Aragog said she died in a bathroom!"

Greg yawned, "And?"

"What if she never left? What if she's still there?"

For a moment, John thought Greg had fallen back asleep before he heard him let out a long breath.

"Moaning Myrtle!"

**Author's Note:**

> ...Sherlock doesn't actually hate Mycroft yet... I have a superb idea to make that happen later though, for year seven. It'll be brilliant. :)
> 
> John's going to take Arithmancy because he's actually not an idiot. But I couldn't take away the fun of divination, and it's feasible because Hermione takes three extra classes by end of PoA (Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures).


End file.
